Sugar House renovation bringing new life to community

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SUGAR HOUSE, Utah - After years of sitting empty, construction in the heart of Sugar House is now picking up, and so is business.

Developers have renovated the old Granite Furniture building and two restaurants have opened for business, including Flat Bread Neapolitan Pizzeria. Amanda Millard, the restaurant's manager, says a lot of care went into making sure the history of the building was preserved.

"The charm of the Sugar House area just fits really well with our concept," Millard said. "We kept the floors original. Some of the walls, of course are original. We kept the ceilings."

Crews are busy working on a seven-story office and condo building next door.

"Hopefully this will revive the area. And we'll see a lot of businesses going in and people everywhere," said Mike Lomax, who works in Sugar House.

People working in the area say that more than anything, they're relieved to see things happening with construction and businesses moving in.

"It's nice, I work right here. So it's nice to actually have restaurants coming up so we can actually eat somewhere, and not have a big hole here. It's looking nice," said Brett Healey, who works in Sugar House.

Developers hope the new businesses in an historical environment will help return life to the neighborhood.

"Just the charm of the Sugar House area just fits really well with our concept. That's the style and the neighborhood we were looking for," Millard said.

Developers say every space in the old Granite Furniture building is already leased, and businesses should all be moved in by May. Sugar House Crossing is expected to be complete in about a year.